Your Custom Text Here
Witch Fever: Congregation
New album: Dark, seething, searing, angry and explosive, this impressive heavy-rock-punk debut by the Manchester quartet takes no prisoners, especially when it comes to taking aim the harms and hypocrisy of Christianity
Read more
Gilla Band’s (former Girl Band) ironically titled extraordinary new album
New album: Groundbreaking, and at times ear-splitting noise experimentation by the Dublin band formerly known as Girl Band with a new album with a deeply ironic title and work that truly challenges the senses via a post-punk, distorted guitar and electronic platform
Read more
Ezra Furman’s superb All Of Us Flames
New album: The sixth LP by the brilliant, visceral, angelic American is perhaps the finest to date, an impassioned, tour de force, Springsteen-esque cri de coeur for the LGBTQ and Jewish communities, but also stirs hearts of all who feel oppressed or alienated
Read more
The game is up: Bob Vylan’s rockin’ second album
New album: The second album from the British punk rock / hip-hop duo takes many uncompromising and catchily powerful pops at many aspects of broken scratchyard Britain, taking aim at cost of living, inequality, Tory and other corruption, and even the fast food industry
Read more
Growing Up by The Linda Lindas
Debut album: Beyond the viral video for their performance in a public library of their protest song Racist, Sexist Boy, the LA teenage girl band of Latin- and Asian-Americans of two sisters, cousin and friend, is packed with great tunes and punk-pop spirit reminiscent of the Ramones, The Go-Go’s and Suzi Quatro
Read more
Bodega’s second album, Broken Equipment
New album: Excellent second LP, following 2018’s debut Endless Scroll, by the punchy Brooklyn post-punk band, packed with sharp lyrics, driving rhythms and riffs, with central theme of how we are defined and shaped by outside influences and perceptions, from city environment to advertising
Read more
Melt Yourself Down: Pray For Me I Don't Fit In
New album: This fourth LP by saxophonist Pete Wareham, Mauritian vocalist Kushal Gaya and co is perhaps their best yet mix of fabulously stompy, staccato, dance-punk, Afrobeat, jazz, with Egyptian and another influences, buzzing with frenetic fervour
Read more
A Place To Bury Strangers - See Through You
New album: Electro noise rock, progressive gothic post-punk? Whatever the genre label, a striking blast of a new LP by the New York band fronted by Oliver Ackermann now with newer members frenetic drummer Sandra Fedowitz and thrumming bass from John Fedowitz
Read more
Niffit’s debut album Fuse
Debut album: Fabulous crash-bang post-punk from the Japanese underground scene in this debut LP by the quartet from Nagoya with stop-start rhythms, sharp, gunslinging guitar riffs and witty, shouty vocals that unleash a ball of electric energy
Read more
Favourite selection part 2.
Favourite albums of 2021 – Part 2: Welcome the second instalment, following Part 1, which can be found here. A huge number of excellent releases, of which again this is just a selection many of which were written during, and about lockdown, but also saw many outstanding voices emerge as well as innovative sounds developed
Read more
Take your pick. Are your favourites here? Also check out Part 2 coming soon.
Favourite albums of 2021, part 1: Another difficult year for everyone, but from soul and jazz, electro-pop the experimental and avant-garde, an outstanding one for music releases, perhaps in part because out of diversity comes great art. Also feel free to explore Part 2, which is now available to view here.
Read more
IDLES return with their fourth album, CRAWLER
New album: ‘Are you ready for the storm'?’ There is much expected blood and thunder in the fourth LP by the Bristol band, but also an expanded range of sounds, feelings, painful, angry and tender moments in this viscerally brilliant new work themed around addiction
Read more
Amyl and The Sniffers - Comfort To Me
Fabulous new LP from Amy Taylor and the Melbourne punk band that again captures their incomparably energetic live shows, here with a mix of humour, anger and some very frank and fertile self-analysis
Read more
Tropical Fuck Storm’s back for a third helping
New album: The third album by the Melbourne quartet of two ex-Drones and more is a magnificently anarchic mix of thrummingly clever noise and art-rock, postpunk, and wittily inventive, sweary, crafted chaos
Read more
TV Priest: caustically funny, thunderously angry
Album review: Thunderously angry, caustically witty, burnished with ripping guitar and bass riffs, frenetic rhythm and the imposing vocals of British Charles Bronson-lookalike Charlie Drinkwater, this post-punk band’s debut echoes IDLES and The Fall
Read more
Pom Poko
Album review: The postpunk Indie quartet from Norway return with their second LP after 2019’s Birthday with more wonderfully energetic work in this short, sharp selection of 10 three-minute songs
Read more
Shame. Back for a second trip
Album review: The south London band return with a strong and developed sound from 2018’s Songs Of Praise, with a greater range of postpunk styles in their armoury, and also echoing other bands such as IDLES, Squid and Art Brut
Read more
Good licks: Viagra Boys
New album: The follow-up to debut album Street Worms, the Swedish post-punk mischief makers fronted by Sebastian Murphy return with their brand of satirically twisted dark humour and stop-start energy
Read more
Great albums of 2020: clockwise from top: Agnes Obel, Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Dylan and Sault’s Untitled (Rise)
Albums of 2020 roundup: Out of crisis comes great art. A year of lockdowns, no gigs, alternative sounds, experimentation and surprises. This is the second half of our roundup of favourite albums of 2020. Part 1 was here
Read more
Lianne La Havas, Fiona Apple and Yves Tumor are among three artists who have released outstanding LPs
Albums of 2020 roundup: A year of lockdowns, alternative sounds, experimentation and surprises. This is the first half two roundups of a total over 50 favourite albums of the year that musicians stayed at home. And here’s Part 2.
Read more